My Envato Support Center - beta

Envato API meets phpBB with perfect … … wait for it … … Code Fusion!!

I’ve spent the last few months (as time permitted) building my support center, so I wanted to show it off and get peoples opinion of it. I wanted a centralize place to handle all Envato customer communications as well as my items documentation. I needed something with a search feature. I want to provide support to paying customers while encouraging people with pirated version to purchase a license to “unlock” my help/patches/fixes, but the purchase verification had to be 100% automated and instantaneous.

Envato API & phpBB

The entire Support Center is built around the Envato API . Or maybe the API is fully integrated into the Support Center? Either way, all item information (images, names, rating, etc.) are pulled from the API on a 12 hour cache. When I get a new item approved on Envato (no matter which marketplace) all I have to do is enter the item number into my Support Centers admin panel and the system will create the category, forums, documentation posts, jquery sliders, advertising, and all other related “stuff” for me – 100% automated!

Bot Automation

I also built three “Bots” that hold the fort down for me. Auth Bot handles the registration, Verification Bot does the purchase code verification and EnvatoRoboto is for my advertising.
The forum is open to everyone – no forum is locked. Registered users and guests alike can read all you want – except for fixes and patches. You must verify the purchase of that item before you are able to read the solutions for that item. Have a look at this post to see it in action. Being in beta mode, I don’t have any posts.

In the near future, verified purchasers will also have the ability to download Item updates before they have cleared the Envato update que.

I’d like to get your ideas and opinion on the overall system.

What you think of the Auth Bot. When you send me a message via my CodeCanyon profile, the Auth Bot will instantly pick it up the message and determine what to do with it. It’s live now if you want to give it a shot – message me via My Profile

If you do not have an account on my Support Center, the Auth Bot will create an account for you using your Envato Name, Avatar, and email address. It will issue you a temporary password that you will have to change at first logon. If you do not login within 3 days of the account creation, the account will self-destruct leaving no trace behind. You can always manually register as well.

If you already have an account, it will forward your message to my private email address, and send you a reminder that you are registered on the Support Center and you should seek help there.

What do you think of the automatic registration? Do you appreciate that you don’t have to fill out another registration form?

My goal with the Auth Bot is to make it convenient for people to use the forums. I, for one, hate having to register at yet another websites. And I despise websites that force you to register to ready anything more than the “welcome” message.

Anonymity

Another things is once your registered you can anonymously, so no one knows “you” are asking for help! Something I thought people may find grateful! You can read about that and more here

Well? What do you think?

There are other features that are in the plans, but I wanted to see what my peers thought of what’s been done thus far.

@Aaran – Would you mind sharing your 11” screen resolution. I should be able to replicate and fix it. I’ve checked the layout on my Droid Razr Maxx and Xoom both portrait and landscape, as well as my 17, 19, 21, and 30 inch screens and all looked good.

@downv – I’ve got some ideas on how I can simplify the front page of the forms. Is that what your overwhelmed by?